National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
Houston, Texas 77058

Biographical Data

NAME: Brewster H. Shaw, Jr. (Colonel, USAF)

NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA:

Born May 16, 1945, in Cass City, Michigan. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Brewster H. Shaw, Sr., reside in Cass City.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

Brown hair; blue eyes; height: 5 feet 8 inches; weight: 140 pounds.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Cass City High School, Cass City, Michigan, in 1963; received bachelor and master of science degrees in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Wisconsin (Madison) in 1968 and 1969, respectively.

MARITAL STATUS:

Married to the former Kathleen Ann Mueller of Madison, Wisconsin. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Mueller, reside in Madison.

CHILDREN:

Brewster Hopkinson III, August 6, 1970; Jessica Hollis, February 3, 1975; Brandon Robert, August 15, 1976.

RECREATIONAL INTERESTS:

He enjoys flying, running, skiing, sailing, hunting, and camping.

ORGANIZATIONS:

SPECIAL HONORS:

Awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 20 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Combat Readiness Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Air Force Longevity Service Award, Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross. Named a Distinguished Graduate from Officer Training School and the USAF Test Pilot School. Recipient of undergraduate pilot training Commanders Trophy, Outstanding Flying Trophy, Outstanding Academic Trophy, Best T-38 Pilot Award, and Top Formation Pilot Award; F-100 Barry Goldwater Top Gun Award and Top Academic Student, and F-4 Outstanding Academic Student Award and Top Gun Award. Recipient of Group Achievement Award 1981 Launch & Landing Operations Team, NASA Space Flight Medals (1983, 1985, 1989), American Astronautical Society 1983 Flight Achievement Award STS-9 (Spacelab 1), Veterans of Foreign Wars 1984 National Space Award STS-9, NASA Group Achievement Award 61-B EASE/ACCESS (1986), NASA-JSC Aviation Safety Award (1987), NASA Special Achievement Award (1988), NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal (1988).

EXPERIENCE:

Shaw entered the Air Force in 1969 after completing Officer Training School and attended undergraduate pilot training at Craig Air Force Base, Alabama. He received his wings in 1970 and was then assigned to the F-100 Replacement Training Unit at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. In March 1971, he was assigned as an F-100 combat fighter pilot to the 352d Tactical Fighter Squadron at Phan Rang Air Base, Republic of Vietnam. He returned to the United States in August 1971 for assignment to the F-4 Replacement Training Unit at George Air Force Base, California. He was subsequently sent to the 25th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Ubon RTAFB, Thailand, where he flew combat missions as an F-4 fighter pilot. In April 1973, he reported to the 20th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, George Air Force Base, California, for F-4 instructor duties. Shaw attended the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California, from July 1975 to 1976.

Following completion of this training, he remained at Edwards as an operational test pilot with the 6512th Test Squadron (Test Operations). He served as an instructor at the USAF Test Pilot School from August 1977 to July 1978.

He has logged more than 5,000 hours flying time in over 30 types of aircraft -- including 644 hours of combat in F-100 and F-4 aircraft.

NASA EXPERIENCE:

Shaw was selected as an astronaut in January 1978. His technical assignments have included support crew and Entry CAPCOM for STS-3 and STS-4, staff member of the Roger's Presidential Commission investigating the STS-51L Challenger accident, head of the Orbiter return to flight team responsible for implementing safety modifications to the Orbiter fleet, and Astronaut Office Liaison with the Department of Defense (DOD) for classified payloads. He has flown on three Shuttle mission, STS-9, STS-61B and STS-28.

On his first mission, Shaw was pilot on STS-9/Spacelab-1which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on November 28, 1983. The crew on board the Orbiter Columbia included spacecraft commander, John Young; mission specialists, Owen Garriott and Robert Parker; and payload specialists, Byron Lichtenberg and Ulf Merbold. This six-man crew was the largest yet to fly aboard a single spacecraft, the first international Shuttle crew, and the first to carry payload specialists. During this maiden flight of the European Space Agency (ESA)-developed laboratory, the crew conducted more than seventy multi-disciplinary scientific and technical investigations in the fields of life sciences, atmospheric physics and earth observations, astronomy and solar physics, space plasma physics, and materials processing. After 10-days of Spacelab hardware verification and around-the-clock scientific operations, Columbia and its laboratory cargo (the heaviest payload to be returned to earth in the Shuttle Orbiter's cargo bay) landed on the dry lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 8, 1983.

He was spacecraft commander on STS-61B which launched at night from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on November 26, 1985. On board the Orbiter Atlantis, his crew included the pilot, Bryan O'Connor, mission specialists, Mary Cleave, Jerry Ross and Woody Spring, as well as payload specialists, Rodolfo Neri Vela (Mexico), and Charles Walker (McDonnell Douglas). During the mission the crew deployed the MORELOS-B, AUSSAT II, and SATCOM K-2 communications satellites, conducted 2 six hour space walks to demonstrate Space Station construction techniques with the EASE/ACCESS experiments, operated the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis (CFES) experiment for McDonnell Douglas and a Getaway Special (GAS) container for Telesat, Canada, conducted several Mexican Payload Specialist Experiments for the Mexican Government, and tested the Orbiter Experiments Digital Autopilot (OEX DAP). This was the heaviest payload weight carried to orbit by the Space Shuttle to date. After completing 108 orbits of the Earth in 165 hours, Shaw landed Atlantis on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 3, 1985.

As spacecraft commander of STS-28, Shaw and his crew launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 8, 1989. The crew on board Shuttle Orbiter Columbia included the pilot, Dick Richards, and three mission specialists, Jim Adamson, David Leestma, and Mark Brown. The mission carried Department of Defense payloads and a number of secondary payloads. After 80 orbits of the earth, this five day mission concluded with a dry lakebed landing on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on August 13, 1989.

With the completion of this flight Col. Shaw logged a total of 534 hours in space.

Currently Deputy Director, Space Shuttle Operations, NASA Headquarters, stationed at NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

ARCHIVAL BIOGRAPHY LAST UPDATED NOVEMBER 1989